“Allowing“ Can Be The Key To Releasing Chronic Pain

energy-bodyMy adventures with chronic pain began when I was injured in an auto accident. As time passed, my treatment from the traditional medical community settled into one dull, grinding message: learn to live with it.

That was a message I simple could not accept.

I believed then, as I believe now, that life is infinitely flexible and plastic. That any of us can change—mentally, physically, spiritually—in an instant. That miracles can and do happen. And I therefore believed that I could do something more than just “learn to live with it.”

I threw myself into reading and trying and doing almost anything I read that promised relief from chronic pain. I learned that there are resources available to us that go far beyond prescription medications and surgery. And I learned that the most important of those resources are inside of us.

Recently I had a conversation with a man who’s traveled the globe studying energy healing. I asked him what, in all his years of study, was the most important thing he had learned. He said, “I’ve learned that the most important thing, and also the hardest thing, is just to get out of our own way and allow our body to heal itself.”

“Allowing, “he said, “not willing, not commanding, not magnetically attracting, but simply allowing is the key to unlocking miracles.”

His words made me remember a story I’d heard from Tanna Boran about her recovery from rheumatoid arthritis. I asked her to write about it for you. Her personal miracle happened when she was 15. It’s my opinion that because she was so young, her mind was not set into fixed patterns of belief, and so she allowed a miracle to happen. Here it is in her own words:

Curious Repercussions of Spontaneous Healing

by Tanna Boran

At the tender age of 15, while watching the Grammy Awards on television one February night, my hands felt stiff. Looking down at them, I saw that my knuckles were swollen and smooth looking, like those of my grandmother who had rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Over the next three months, this stiffness rapidly progressed to full blown physical agony. I had fevers and always felt sick. I couldn’t curl my fingers around my books to carry them between high school classes. I was so stiff after a night’s sleep that I required my mother’s help getting out of bed and starting the hot shower that would provide too little relief.

I told my parents, family doctor, and others involved that I had was arthritis. I didn’t know at that time there were two kinds, but I’d heard my grandmother bemoan her arthritis pain over the years. It seemed pretty obvious to me.

It was not so obvious to my family doctor, however, and he admitted me to the hospital for tests. This turned into a surreal weeklong stay, ending with a doctor I’d never met bestowing the RA diagnosis on me as if I’d inherited a sizeable estate. (I suppose for him it was a successful completion to his work.) He essentially told me RA is forever and get used to it.

I was a bit pissed off, to put it mildly. It took only days after the diagnosis for some people to start treating me like an invalid. As if having a serious disease wasn’t bad enough, people acted like I was contagious as well. Another significant person in my life all but accused me of faking the whole thing. I caught on quickly that even if compassion was warranted, I wasn’t necessarily going to get it.

Rage at this treatment and the unfairness of it all welled up in me until one day it broke loose; an impassioned exchange with my Maker ensued. Well, more like a loud dressing down. I informed Him I was too f****** young for this s***. I had a few more choice words for Him, but you get the gist of it. Floors were beaten with fists. Household items were thrown.

After that, I suffered through a truly grueling week of nausea and vomiting. Any movement whatsoever stirred up vertigo-like nausea through my whole body. I spent hours at a time draped over an open toilet. I vomited constantly, even though nothing but bile came up.

And then the RA was gone.

I didn’t think too much about what had happened. Raised in the Catholic tradition, the concept of miracles was nothing new to me, but I didn’t think of my emancipation from RA as a miracle. After all, I’d spent most of my life without RA, so returning to that RA-free life was something I didn’t question. It seemed like a natural course of events. Over the following months and years, though, I was informed otherwise.

For some strange reason, some people were not thrilled that I might not be crippled with pain for the rest of my life. The most common reactions were an incredulous, “But there’s no cure for rheumatoid arthritis!” and a resolute, “Well, you must have been misdiagnosed.”

No offense, but I spent a week in the hospital and surrendered half of my blood supply to establish that diagnosis. Dozens of medical professionals took part in it. If it’s easier to think that a half-dozen doctors and dozens of support staff all conclusively erred rather than a spontaneous healing could occur, you’ve probably seen far too few miracles in your life.

I used to tell my new doctors about the now-gone RA when they took my medical history. I’ve since stopped because none of them were interested or even found it worthy of being noted in my chart.  It’s as if they conclude I must have been misdiagnosed, because if I had it then, I’d have it now. So I stopped mentioning it. No one’s worse for not knowing.

I believe that my natural indignation — which has served me well in my ensuing years — at having at age 15 what I thought of as an old lady’s disease led to a spontaneous healing.  But I also found out some interesting things down the line.

For weeks after the vomiting, all I ate were ice pops and pumpkin seeds.  Years later I read the book, “Eat Right 4 Your Type,” by Peter J. D’Adamo, a book that asserted that certain foods have a medicinal effect for people of particular blood types. And, you guessed it; pumpkin seeds have a medicinal/healing effect for those with my O blood type.

I’d like to think that my intuition led me to the food that would be my medicine. Supposedly O blood types are the ones who get RA and other autoimmune diseases as well.

I never discovered what the ice pops were about, but I still like them today. And I know that spontaneous healing is possible, because I experienced it. Even if others don’t believe.

_________

Tanna Boran is a life coach, writer and metaphysician, as well as an accidental advocate for caregivers. You can read her blog at http://www.AudaciousAbundance.com and learn about her practice at http://www.DivineRelationshipCoaching.com.

You can also follow her at Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/CoachTanna

###

Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide, information and motivation to people challenged by chronic pain. To stay in touch with her, type your name and email address into the “Subscribe form” in the upper right corner of this page.

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Finding Affordable Chronic Pain Relief On Ebay Is Easy!

pain-relief-on-ebayIn all the books I’ve read on chronic pain, there’s one subject that is never mention–the expense of it.

I believe if I gathered up all the money I’ve spent on books, on heat wraps, on massage therapy, on over-the-counter remedies, on infra red light wands and what-not, I could pay cash for a Rolls Royce.

I expect it’s much the same for you, so I’m happy to be able to share my experience with shopping on eBay.
I’m a huge eBay fan. It’s one of the first places I look when I need…well, just about anything.
Every time I mention this, people ask me if shopping on eBay is safe. I can only say that since 2002 I’ve made hundreds of purchases and only one auction, for a $5 trinket, went bad. The seller accepted my payment and promptly disappeared from eBay.
But every other auction, many of them for items costing more than $200, had a happy ending. I’m careful whom I buy from. I avoid new sellers with no feedback, for instance. And my experience has been that most eBay sellers are people working hard to provide honest and accurate descriptions of their items, pack them well and deliver them quickly.

Over all, my experience has been great and I’ve saved a whopping big amount of money!
So what sort of things do I buy on eBay for chronic pain? Here’s an example of something I purchased this week. The item is a brand new book with an enclosed CD containing music designed to entrain the brain waves and alter the listener’s perception of pain.

This is the listing that was on eBay. Notice that the original publisher’s price of this book is $17.95 , but the eBay seller has listed it for “buy it now” for $1.

painbook-w-cd-auction

And here’s the notice that I bought this  item for a mere $1. My total payout to the seller for the book and postage, which I paid through my PayPal account, was $4.99

painbook-w-cd-auction-end

I was delighted with the book when it arrived. It was brand new. In fact, it was still sealed in the publisher’s plastic wrapper . And both the book and CD contained valuable information.

What sort of things will YOU look for on eBay? For starters, I recommend looking for almost any pain relief item you see advertised on TV. Anytime anything is sold through TV, a large number of items are returned. Many of those returns are still brand new, unwanted only because the buyer realized they couldn’t afford the item.

Those returns are frequently sold on eBay at greatly discounted prices. For example, a few years back, when a device for back pain called “The Wave” was being sold on TV for $60 plus shipping, I purchased one on eBay for $15 plus shipping.

To search eBay, I simply type “chronic pain” or “pain relief” into the search bar (without the quote marks) and see what comes up.  I’ve done that now and input some of the results into this blog post, so you can see some of what’s available You can click on any of the links below to visit eBay and look for your own bargains in pain relief.

Ebay Results
Chronic Pain Management, Carol Banks, Karen MacKrodt, V
US $4.99
End Date: Friday Jul-03-2009 20:20:44 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $4.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain Control Workbook by Cataleno, Kimeron N. H
US $4.95
End Date: Saturday Jul-04-2009 11:44:53 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $4.95
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain
US $26.39
End Date: Saturday Jul-04-2009 12:23:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $26.39
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain for Dummies
US $13.07
End Date: Saturday Jul-04-2009 13:52:38 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $13.07
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Managing Chronic Pain by Siang-Yang Tan Ph.D. (1996)
US $0.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 11:47:23 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list
SUBLIMINAL PAIN RELIEF MANAGEMENT CHRONIC HEALING AID
US $11.99
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 13:05:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $11.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Psychosocial Interventions for Chronic Pain: In Search
US $165.66
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 16:04:08 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $165.66
Buy it now | Add to watch list
DIVINE LIGHT REIKI - REMOVE TOXINS & CHRONIC PAIN
US $9.99
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 17:24:35 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $9.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
SUBLIMINAL HIP PAIN RELIEF CD-STOP ACHING CHRONIC ACHES
US $11.99
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 17:30:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $11.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain-New Book
US $26.69
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 18:12:49 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $26.69
Buy it now | Add to watch list
SUBLIMINAL KNEE PAIN RELIEF CD - END/STOP CHRONIC ACHES
US $11.99
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 18:20:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $11.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Headache And Chronic Pain Syndromes: The Case-based Gui
US $63.19
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 19:02:01 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $63.19
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Managing Chronic Pain: A Cognitive-behavioral Therapy A
US $34.58
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 19:30:39 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $34.58
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Managing Chronic Pain: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy A
US $26.42
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 19:43:32 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $26.42
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain-New Book
US $21.14
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 20:07:46 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $21.14
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Buy Healthy Optimal Chronic for Joint Pain and More
US $18.95
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 20:28:55 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $18.95
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain for Dummies-Stuart Kassan-New Book
US $14.73
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 20:55:12 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $14.73
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic
US $12.46
End Date: Sunday Jul-05-2009 21:54:08 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $12.46
Buy it now | Add to watch list
CHRONIC PAIN SINGLE PATCH
US $1.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Jul-06-2009 9:44:22 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list
Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain by Devin Star...
US $9.32 (0 Bid)
End Date: Monday Jul-06-2009 10:22:55 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list
FYBROMYALGIA FOR DUMMIES~COPE W/CHRONIC PAIN/SLEEP~NEW!
US $16.00
End Date: Monday Jul-06-2009 11:32:22 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $16.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
The Chronic Pain Solution
US $10.49
End Date: Tuesday Jul-07-2009 2:01:08 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $10.49
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Live Well with Chronic Pain * Liza H Leal MD 2006 NEW!
US $8.99
End Date: Tuesday Jul-07-2009 16:29:22 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $8.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain For Dummies (For Dummies (Health & Fitne..
US $10.00
End Date: Wednesday Jul-08-2009 7:57:06 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $10.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Conquering Your Child's Chronic Pain by Christina Bl...
US $11.66
End Date: Wednesday Jul-08-2009 14:45:02 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $11.66
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Conquering Your Child's Chronic Pain by Christina Bl...
US $0.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Wednesday Jul-08-2009 17:15:43 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list
SILENT SUBLIMINAL CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME- PAIN/ENERGY
US $11.99
End Date: Wednesday Jul-08-2009 18:20:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $11.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
The Chronic Pain Solution: The Comprehensive, Step-by..
US $12.48
End Date: Wednesday Jul-08-2009 18:36:55 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $12.48
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Managing Chronic Pain by Siang-Yang Tan Ph.D.
US $2.75
End Date: Wednesday Jul-08-2009 18:38:02 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $2.75
Buy it now | Add to watch list
3 MAYO CLINIC GUIDES CHRONIC PAIN/PREGNANCY/SELF CARE+1
US $5.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Wednesday Jul-08-2009 21:01:05 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list
NEW The Chronic Pain Solution: Your Personal Path to...
US $10.87
End Date: Wednesday Jul-08-2009 21:05:52 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $10.87
Buy it now | Add to watch list
The Chronic Pain Solution by James N. Dillard M.D., ...
US $9.99
End Date: Thursday Jul-09-2009 9:12:06 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $9.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
SUBLIMINAL HYPNOSIS BACK PAIN RELIEF- CHRONIC ACHES AID
US $11.99
End Date: Thursday Jul-09-2009 12:05:00 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $11.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain
US $9.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Jul-09-2009 14:42:24 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list
NEW BOOK The Chronic Pain Solution Dillard, James N., M
US $13.07
End Date: Friday Jul-10-2009 0:16:39 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $13.07
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Psychosocial Interventions for Chronic Pain: In ...
US $151.99
End Date: Friday Jul-10-2009 1:02:35 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $151.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
DLPA to End Chronic Pain & Depression book nutrition
US $0.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Friday Jul-10-2009 15:57:03 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list
Pain Free for Women -A.Program for Ending Chronic Pain
US $9.95
End Date: Friday Jul-10-2009 16:56:17 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $9.95
Buy it now | Add to watch list
FIBROMYALGIA & CHRONIC MYOFASCIAL PAIN BY MARY COPELAND
US $9.99
End Date: Friday Jul-10-2009 17:33:12 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $9.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome by M...
US $4.92
End Date: Friday Jul-10-2009 21:51:23 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $4.92
Buy it now | Add to watch list
The Truth About Chronic Pain
US $12.00
End Date: Saturday Jul-11-2009 18:21:14 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $12.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW BOOK Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Starlan
US $17.52
End Date: Sunday Jul-12-2009 2:58:11 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $17.52
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Social Relations and Chronic Pain - Roy, Ranjan
US $84.06
End Date: Sunday Jul-12-2009 7:55:55 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $84.06
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Headache and Chronic Pain Syndromes (Current Clinical P
US $5.00
End Date: Sunday Jul-12-2009 11:28:54 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $5.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
SUBLIMINAL FIBROMYALGIA AID-FM FMS CHRONIC PAIN RELIEF
US $11.99
End Date: Sunday Jul-12-2009 18:00:26 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $11.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Managing Chronic Pain by Siang-Yang Tan Ph.D. (1996)
US $2.50
End Date: Sunday Jul-12-2009 21:05:45 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $2.50
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain: pocketbook (MARTIN DUNITZ MEDICAL POCKET
US $8.70
End Date: Monday Jul-13-2009 9:41:01 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $8.70
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain ...
US $10.99
End Date: Monday Jul-13-2009 12:46:04 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $10.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Health/Chronic Pain/DIET FOR A PAIN-FREE LIFE/Brand NEW
US $7.99
End Date: Monday Jul-13-2009 14:23:28 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $7.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Relieve Your Child's Chronic Pain: A Doctor's Program f
US $1.00
End Date: Monday Jul-13-2009 18:03:18 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $1.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Learning to Master Your Chronic Pain by Robert N. Jamis
US $3.50
End Date: Monday Jul-13-2009 20:21:16 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $3.50
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Reversing Chronic Pain: A 10-Point All-Natural Plan for
US $6.94
End Date: Monday Jul-13-2009 20:25:15 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $6.94
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Mayo Clinic on Chronic Pain by Jeffrey Rome, Mayo Clini
US $1.97
End Date: Monday Jul-13-2009 22:21:49 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $1.97
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Freedom from Chronic Pain: The Breakthrough Method of P
US $1.00
End Date: Tuesday Jul-14-2009 5:16:37 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $1.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain for Dummies by Charles J. Vierck, Eliza...
US $15.99
End Date: Tuesday Jul-14-2009 7:44:55 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $15.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
:60 Second Chronic Pain Relief: The Quickest Way to Sof
US $3.80
End Date: Tuesday Jul-14-2009 10:21:51 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $3.80
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain and the Family: A New Guide (The Harvard U
US $15.96
End Date: Tuesday Jul-14-2009 13:47:45 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $15.96
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Surviving the Chronic Pain Experience: Understand And M
US $1.00
End Date: Tuesday Jul-14-2009 16:10:06 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $1.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Pain, Pain Go Away WILLIAM FABER CHRONIC PAIN/ARTHRITIS
US $12.99
End Date: Wednesday Jul-15-2009 0:44:01 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $12.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW BOOK 10 Simple Solutions to Chronic Pain Tearnan, B
US $12.26
End Date: Wednesday Jul-15-2009 23:04:15 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $12.26
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Chronic Pain in Old Age: An Integrated Biopsychosocial
US $19.99
End Date: Thursday Jul-16-2009 10:35:01 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $19.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method For Stopping Chronic
US $9.22
End Date: Thursday Jul-16-2009 14:45:18 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $9.22
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Validate Your Pain! Exposing the Chronic Pain Cover-Up,
US $13.79
End Date: Friday Jul-17-2009 9:31:06 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $13.79
Buy it now | Add to watch list
The Truth About Chronic Pain (Arthur Rosenfeld)
US $3.50
End Date: Friday Jul-17-2009 13:44:23 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $3.50
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Surv
US $5.99
End Date: Friday Jul-17-2009 16:02:55 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $5.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Conquering Your Child's Chronic Pain: A Pediatrician's
US $5.98
End Date: Friday Jul-17-2009 16:49:13 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $5.98
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Pain Management Program - DVD and ++ for Chronic Pain
US $79.95
End Date: Friday Jul-17-2009 18:28:57 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $79.95
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome : A Sur
US $1.00
End Date: Saturday Jul-18-2009 14:14:28 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $1.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW The Truth about Chronic Pain: Patients and Profe...
US $10.99
End Date: Saturday Jul-18-2009 14:47:15 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $10.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW BOOK Chronic Pain for Dummies Kassan, Stuart/ Vierc
US $15.74
End Date: Saturday Jul-18-2009 16:46:36 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $15.74
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Managing Chronic Pain: A Cognitive-Behavioral Th...
US $30.99
End Date: Saturday Jul-18-2009 19:53:17 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $30.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Surv
US $5.15
End Date: Saturday Jul-18-2009 23:30:18 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $5.15
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW BOOK Living With Chronic Pain Schneider, Jennifer P
US $13.13
End Date: Sunday Jul-19-2009 2:52:29 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $13.13
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Surv
US $5.87
End Date: Sunday Jul-19-2009 11:26:16 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $5.87
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Acupressure Taping: For Chronic Pain and Injurie...
US $11.30
End Date: Sunday Jul-19-2009 12:44:36 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $11.30
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Chronic Pain 9780199230280
US $19.99
End Date: Sunday Jul-19-2009 17:20:54 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $19.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
The Truth About Chronic Pain: Patients and Professional
US $1.00
End Date: Sunday Jul-19-2009 18:45:52 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $1.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Freedom from Chronic Pain: The Breakthrough Method of P
US $1.69
End Date: Sunday Jul-19-2009 20:51:07 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $1.69
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW BOOK Managing Chronic Pain Otis, John D.
US $24.74
End Date: Tuesday Jul-21-2009 2:04:20 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $24.74
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW BOOK Chronic Pain Dickman, Andrew (EDT)/ Simpson, K
US $23.46
End Date: Tuesday Jul-21-2009 3:28:27 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $23.46
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Chronic Benign Pain - Gary W. Jay|Jay, Gary W. ...
US $158.29
End Date: Wednesday Jul-22-2009 2:46:33 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $158.29
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Chronic Abdominal and Visceral Pain: Theory and ...
US $239.99
End Date: Wednesday Jul-22-2009 2:46:34 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $239.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Chronic Pain Management: Guidelines for Multidis...
US $119.95
End Date: Wednesday Jul-22-2009 2:47:40 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $119.95
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW The Chronic Pain Care Workbook: A Self-Treatment...
US $12.99
End Date: Wednesday Jul-22-2009 8:27:23 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $12.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Camp Pain: Talking with Chronic Pain Patients - ...
US $28.65
End Date: Wednesday Jul-22-2009 17:27:27 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $28.65
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Chronic Pain: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Prev...
US $239.94
End Date: Wednesday Jul-22-2009 19:12:52 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $239.94
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: Assessment and Practica...
US $84.94
End Date: Wednesday Jul-22-2009 20:38:06 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $84.94
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Living With Chronic Pain by Jennifer Schneider M.D. ...
US $3.15
End Date: Thursday Jul-23-2009 3:03:08 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $3.15
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Chronic Pain Relief: 12 Non-Medical Approaches -...
US $17.99
End Date: Thursday Jul-23-2009 4:04:30 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $17.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Chronic Pain 9780889373204
US $23.99
End Date: Thursday Jul-23-2009 6:39:44 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $23.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Making Peace With Chronic Pain: A Whole-Life Strategy,
US $10.00
End Date: Thursday Jul-23-2009 15:28:13 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $10.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list
Mayo Clinic On Chronic Pain: Lead a More Active and Pro
US $1.52
End Date: Thursday Jul-23-2009 16:12:03 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $1.52
Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW Chronic Pain Management 9781861564535
US $45.00
End Date: Thursday Jul-23-2009 20:28:54 PDT
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Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide information and motivation to people living with chronic pain. Stay in touch with her by typing your email address into the subscriber box in the upper right corner.

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Mad Scientist…or BAD Scientist? Pain Drug Researcher Accused Of Fabricating Favorable Research

Mad Scientist---or BAD Scientist?

Mad Scientist---or BAD Scientist?

The next time a much-touted drug doesn’t work for you, you may want to stop blaming yourself and think about this—

In March of 2009, Doctor Scott S. Reuben, a prominent anesthesiologist and former chief of acute pain at Baystate Medical Center in Massachusetts, was accused of faking studies that were published in several anesthesiology journals betweenn1996 and 2008.

Dr. Reuben had been a paid spokesperson for Pfizer and the company paid for some of his research. Pfizer’s Celebrex and Lyrica, as well as Bextra and Vioxx, which have since been withdrawn from sale-received positive reports from Dr. Reuben. He also claimed positive findings for using the antidepressant Effexor XR, from Wyeth, as a painkiller. Wyeth said it wasn’t aware of any financial relationship between its company and the doctor.

In a press release, Pfizer claimed it had no prior knowledge of Dr. Reuben’s alleged actions and were disappointed to learn of the accusations.

Dr. Reuben, now 50, has been accused of falsifying data for more than a decade. In one case, he forged the signature of another doctor on some reports. The journal Anesthesia & Analgesia is reporting articles containing the questionable data go back to 1996.

Reuben had been a high profile and much-respected researcher. He championed the use of anti-inflammatory drugs known as COX@ inhibitors and claimed his studies showed reduced post-surgical pain and dependence on steroids and addictive drugs.

Dr. Reuben’s studies affected the type of pain relief offered to millions of people around the world.

Because his data was so widely relied upon by other researchers, the integrity of an untold number of related studies is now called into question. Clinical trials of drugs that relied on data from Reuben’s work may have to be repeated as a result of this scandal.

In addition, many doctors relied on his studies when determining what prescriptions to write for their patients. Two of the COX2 inhibitors he reportedly falsified favorable data for, Pfizer’s Bextra and Vioxx, became some of the most widely prescribed pain killers. They were removed from the market in 2006 after evidence showed they increased the risk of fatal strokes and heart attacks.

Vioxx was further discredited when it became known that some studies signed by professors and medical researches claiming they had written the findings were actually written by Merck employees.

Fraud in the handling of drug research affects everyone participating in the use of prescriptions for health care, both medical professionals and patients.

It is undoubtedly troubling for doctors who must rely on published studies to stay informed about new developments in pain care.

It’s troubling and also dangerous for patients who rely on their doctors. I was personally involved as a patient advocate for an elderly woman whose doctor suggested, after reading a study, that she try Vioxx for her arthritis pain.

During a nightmarish two-month trial of the drug, she suffered from many side effects. Her condition became so severe it was necessary to place her in a nursing home for the last month. When her doctor finally ordered her to stop taking Vioxx, all negative symptoms withdrew and she was able to return to caring for herself in her own home.

Her doctor, a deeply caring practitioner, told me he had a hard time assessing that Vioxx had been the problem “because all the reports on it have been so favorable.”

As a pain patient, you must always be aware that studies can be faked and doctors, no matter how well intentioned, can be misguided. They can also make mistakes.

Always keep in mind that YOU are the only expert on your body and it’s condition. If your body is not responding well to a drug, that’s not a fault in you. That’s the wrong drug–no matter what any study says.

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Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide information, motivation and understadning to people livingw ith chronic pain. To keep in touch with her, use the subscribe form in the upper right corner.

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Healing The Emotional Component Of Chronic Pain

healing-is-a-journeyIn 1989, an auto accident left me crippled with chronic pain. During the years it took me to recover, I learned that chronic pain always has an emotional component. For full recovery, both the physical and emotional aspects must be healed.

This concept isn’t always so easy for Westerners to accept. When I was first injured, I would have thought the idea ludicrous. The source of my pain was obvious-I’d been in a serious auto accident. Case closed.

But when traditional medicine failed to help me heal, I began exploring alternative medicine. The more I read, the more I learned about the number of ways that our beliefs and ideas impact our body.

I began to understand that the rage I held inside-rage against the man that recklessly caused the accident, rage against the doctors that carelessly misdiagnosed me, rage against the insurance company that closed and left me stranded-all that boiling rage was standing in the way of my recovery.

It wasn’t easy to let go of that rage. After all, it was completely justified. All those people had caused me to suffer, yet they had moved on with their lives without so much as a slap on the hand. I wanted justice, and knowing there would be none left me filled with fury.

But book after book, scientific study after scientific study, told me the same story. Our brains react instantly to our thoughts and emotions, releasing millions of combinations of chemicals in instant response to everything that passes through our mind.

I knew I had to find a way to release my rage, and with much work and over time, I did. Since then, I’ve continued to study brain function, hypnosis and what some call emotional or energy medicine. And a couple of years ago I came across a field of energy medicine called EFT, emotional freedom technique.

EFT is a way of tapping into and resolving painful emotions by tapping on your body. It’s one of the first techniques I turn to when I need physical or emotional help. I consider it my first aid kit. But a few weeks ago, even though I needed help badly, I seemed helpless to help myself.

I was getting ready to go to a 4-day seminar on internet marketing when I slipped and twisted my knee. Nothing seemed broken or torn, so I wasn’t overly concerned. And I knew, from years of physical therapy, how to care for it.

But after the first day of the seminar, I was a wreck. To walk, I was shifting all my weight to the right, to protect my left knee. Doing that put my spine out of whack, and I now had a nagging backache as well as a throbbing knee. I knew I’d better start using a cane to keep me standing straight while my knee healed.

That night, on the way home from the seminar, I stopped at a drug store and bought a spiffy blue cane with a comfortable handle. I instantly felt more comfortable walking, but as I left the drug store, something came trailing behind me.

It was a swarm of negative emotions and fears that followed me home, settling on me like little black flies, biting and pinching me. I tried to brush them away, but as I fell asleep, they invaded my dreams. I got little rest that night.

The next day, I walked into the seminar with my cane and was again overwhelmed with painful emotions. Everything I’d been though in the past came alive again. I vividly remembered using first a walker, and later a cane. I remembered people making unkind remarks and ridiculous assumptions when I was slow crossing a street or moving through the grocery store. And the more I remembered, the more my knee throbbed and the worse I felt.

I didn’t make it through the last day of the seminar. And all the next week I was so worn out from pain I could barely get my work done. Mail and housework piled up, making me feel more stressed, more afraid, more angry at myself for not taking control of the situation and doing—-

Doing what? My knee needed time to heal. Wasn’t I using a knee brace, a cane, exercise and infrared heat?  Wasn’t I doing everything I could?

I was not. And I knew it.

I purposely wasn’t using EFT, the Emotional Freedom Technique, to resolve the leftover feelings that damn cane had awakened. Worse, I didn’t know why I wasn’t using EFT. Some part of me seemed stubbornly resolved to stay in turmoil.

I’ve seen this in other people, this digging in and accepting pain without doing everything we can to resolve it. I don’t know where it comes from or why we do it. I just know it’s common.

I knew I had to motivate myself to move forward. But it took me a few days to come up with enough motivation just to motivate myself! To do that, I used a technique I learned in NLP (nuerolinguistic programming). I made a list of things I badly wanted to do, things I would not be able to do if I didn’t get out of the unresouceful state of mind I was in.

When the pain of potentially missing out on those events became greater than the pain of making myself take action….I took action.

I started using EFT to tap into my emotions and resolve them. I’d clearly been shown there was a lot of leftover fear and anger from that auto accident that needed to be put to rest. There were lots of new fears, too, fears about the economy, about growing older and declining (brought on by my caring for my 94-year old father), as well as lingering grief from the death of my dearest friend last November.

I’m still working my way through issues. My knee is getting better. And I have a better understanding of how deeply our emotions stay buried, not just in our minds but in our bones and muscles and nerves.

There are many ways of resolving emotional pain. I have used EFT effectively, as well as hypnosis and neurolinguistic programming. There are also techniques like Reiki or Rolfing or massage therapy that release emotional pain though physical work. And when the right person is available, therapy with a psychologist or mental health counselor can be a blessing. The challenge is not to find a method of healing emotions-there are many– but simply to motivate yourself to take a step emotional healing.

Don’t be afraid to try a technique, or as I did, many techniques. Unlike surgery or drugs, no harm can come from these gentle forms of therapy. When one is right for you, you will feel it. And feel, too, how much physical pain is lifted when emotional pain is released.

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Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide news, information and motivation to people living with pain.  You can stay in touch with her by adding your email address to the subscribe form located in the upper right corner.

For an eye-opening look at EFT, read this very interesting article  at  Emofree about demonstrating EFT to a group of doctors, and how it was used on stage for pain from a broken wrist.

or this one–Did Karen’s physical scars disappear as she did EFT on her emotional scars?

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When People In Pain Care And Share, They Help And Heal

care-and-shareRecently, I wrote about my purchase of some Vitamin B12  patches.

It seems my internal  “B12 receptors” have gone on strike, leaving me critically short of that important vitamin.

My doctor recommended weekly injections. I stalled him by trying an 8-week course of a brand new product, transdermal B12 patches.

I thought using them would be much less traumatic than closing my eyes and blindly stabbing a needle into myself.

But Kathi Harris, a reader of Pain Health News, chimed in through the comment box and told me she’d been giving herself weekly injections for years.

“The first time I tried to do it,” she wrote, ” I sat there holding the syringe over my leg for like 20 minutes before I got up enough nerve to stick myself. Then I started laughing so hard, I pulled the needle back out before I actually injected myself…LOL! After the first time, I’ve never hesitated to give myself that shot. Really, after you’ve made yourself do it once, you’ll never be scared to do it again!”

8 weeks later I reported to my doctor for new blood tests to see how I was doing on the transdermal patches. Alas, they didn’t work for me. My B12 level was even lower!

“You’re risking nerve damage,” my doctor said. “You need weekly injections. It’s possible to do it at home. Do you think you could handle that?”

I thought of what Kathi Harris had written and said, confidently, “Sure I can! After I make myself do it once, I’ll never be scared to do it again!”

My doctor nodded. “That’s good,” he said. “It will save you a lot of time if you don’t have to drive all the way over here ever week. And save you a lot of money, too.”

So a nurse came in, gave me a few simple instructions and watched me take my first stab at injecting myself. Sure enough—I can do it!

But only because I had it on good authority that someone much like me had already done it.

By being a positive role model, Kathi Harris helped me overcome some fears and move on with my life.

That life has changed dramatically since 1989, when an auto accident turned me into a chronic pain patient.

There were days, months, even a whole year when I didn’t think I’d ever get better.  When I didn’t think I could live with it another day.

I just couldn’t see a brighter future for myself.

But then I began reading books about people that had overcome impossible odds to achieve a life worth living. They’d overcome cancer, blindness, abuse, imprisonment, disability and illness of every kind.

I read every book I could find in my local library about people who’d faced every situation that can stop a human being dead in their tracks—and overcome it.

With those positive role models before me, I found the courage to overcome my fears and fight for a life worth living.

That’s why I write Pain Health News. Because if you know that I overcame crippling pain and deep despair, you’ll know it’s also possible for you.

That’s why you should add your own thoughts and comments to Pain Health News,  just as Kathi Harris did.

You never know who is looking in on these pages. You never know what they struggle with or what they fear. You never know how just one positive comment or suggestion from you can turn a life around and point it in a new direction.

What you can know is that when you reach out and make even the smallest effort to contribute advice, information and personal experience, someone, somewhere is helped. And you did it!

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Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to share information, motivation and conversation with people living with chronic pain. To  stay in touch with her, use the subscribe form in the upper right corner.

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Pain Health News Joins The Pain Carnival

pain-carnivalWhat? You didn’t know there was a carnival just for pain patients? Sure! The clowns all run around throwing Codeine cream pies at each other and the cotton candy is sprinkled with Motrin.

All right, I admit I made most of that up, but the title is true. Pain Health News really is  included in the March Pain Carnival at the “How To Cope With Pain” blog.

A blog carnival is a round up of related blogs and posts, so blog carnivals are a great way of helping people with related interests and issues find each other.

Dealing with chronic pain can be lonely, depressing and confusing. Each of us needs all the help and support we can get, but those ingredients aren’t always so easy to find. That’s why I’m so pleased to be included with the other good sites working to provide places where people with chronic pain can find understanding and resources.

Check out the March Pain Carnival at “How To Cope With Pain” to see all the articles included.  I promise—no cream pies in the face!

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Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide information, motivation and understanding to people dealing with chronic pain. To stay in touch with her, please use the subscribe form in the upper right corner.

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If A Paralyzed Man Can Walk, Chronic Pain Patients Can Heal

hopeA story appeared in the news the week of March 20th that left me speechless. At the age of 21, David Blancarte of California was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident.

Fast-forward more than 20 years. It’s 2007. Blancarte, now 48, is bitten by a brown recluse spider.  Knowing the spider’s bite is deadly poisonous, Blancarte’s family rushes him to the hospital where he spends 8 months in physical therapy.

During one of the therapy sessions, a nurse notices a muscle spasm in Blancarte’s leg. She notifies Blancarte’s doctor, who orders tests that show that the once-dead nerves in Blancarte’s legs are now reacting to stimulus.

Five days after the tests, Blancarte is walking. Doctors reportedly say they are mystified.

I’ve worked with paralyzed men in pain support groups. For the first few years of being paralyzed, all of them expect something– some doctor, some operation, some miracle, something– will happen to let them walk again.

After 20 years of being paralyzed, no one expects that. Not the person that is paralyzed. Not their families, or doctors or therapists or ministers. No one.

And yet, for unknown reasons, the dead nerves in David Blancartes legs suddenly regenerated.  And he walked.

Every week I hear from people who are struggling with depression because they have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis or lupus or some other painful disease. And they have been told there is no hope for a cure.

Every week I hear from people that are still suffering terrible pain even years after a back injury. They no longer hold out hope for a cure.

These people often say the same thing. ” All I can see is myself getting older and being in even more pain. And I get so depressed.”

I want those people, and you, to know about David Blancarte.

He is living proof that what we can only call miracles can and do happen.

He is proof that no one, no matter how many degrees they have, no matter what they’ve experienced, no matter what they think they know, can predict the future.

He is proof that no one has the right to assume that the end of his or her story has already been written.

He is proof that there is always reason to hope, and even to expect that life will bring us the most amazing, unpredictable and unexplainable circumstances, often when we least expect it.

David Blancarte is the reason you should push through even the bad days with a smile on your face and bright plans for the future.

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Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide information, motivation and understanding to people living with chronic pain. To stay in touch with her, please use the subscribe form in the upper right corner.

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Did The Word “Just” Kill Natasha Richardson?

just-a-bumpIf you read about the tragic death of 45-yearl old actress Natasha Richardson, you may have read a classic case of murder by the word “just.”

Richardson, wife of Liam Neeson and daughter of Vanessa Redgrave, fell during a lesson on a beginner’s ski slope in Quebec. She hit her head. After falling, she got up, walked around, talked to people and declined treatment.

I’m sure everyone, including Richardson, thought she was O.K. They all probably said, “She just fell.”

But two days later, she was dead from a blood clot that developed between the brain and the skull.

I took a fall myself last year and hit my head. I was carrying groceries into the house when a paper bag began to rip. Grabbing to support it, I lost my balance and fell flat on my face on the concrete sidewalk.

I was stunned and dazed. But by the time my husband came out of the garage and around to the front door, I was standing. I told him I’d fallen. He asked if I was O.K. “Yeah,” I said. “I just hit my head.” And we went inside.

Two weeks later, I realized I might have had a concussion from that fall.

Immediately after I’d fallen, I’d had a headache. My vision had been slightly blurred. And only in retrospect was I able to assess how fuzzy my thinking had been all that week. So fuzzy that I hadn’t even thought to go to the doctor.

I was very lucky and I knew it. Many years ago, while a student, I worked part time in a hospital where I’d seen a young man die from a situation similar to Natasha Richardson’s. That day, a doctor told me sadly that too many people think a person that gets up and walks around after a fall is O.K.

Every blow to the head, no matter how seemingly insignificant, and especially in children, he told me, must be checked out by a doctor to be absolutely certain there is no internal bleeding.

“Never assume “just” a bump on the head,” that doctor told me. “That word, “just.” kills people.”

I think the word “just” killed Natasha Richardson.

That word “just” kills a lot of people.

When I was injured in a car accident and wound up as a chronic pain patient, I heard that word, “just”, over and over. In the emergency room, a doctor told me, “You’re lucky. It’s just a bump on the head. You could have been killed.”

Later, in my family doctor’s office, I heard, “You’re lucky it’s just soft tissue damage. You could have broken a lot of bones.”

At a specialists, I heard, “You can’t possibly be in that much pain. It’s just pulled muscles.”

Time and time again, my complaints and symptoms were declared insignificant with one wave of the word “just.”

In my case, it wasn’t “just” a bump on the head. I had a blood clot on my brain that could have killed me.

It wasn’t “just” soft tissue damage and pulled muscles. I had sprained hands, ruptured disks, torn ligaments and a host of other injuries. Because they went untreated, I spent years in disabling pain.

There are so many dangers for pain patients, like risks of drug addiction and overdose, risks associated with hospitals and surgery, risk of misdiagnosis, but perhaps the highest potential for risk comes from one simple little word.

That word is “just,”

Don’t say that word. Don’t let others say it to you.

Check things out. Get second opinions. And remember that just being able to walk and talk isn’t necessarily the measure of perfect health.

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Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide information, motivation and understanding to people living with chronic pain. To keep in touch with her, use the subscribe form in the upper right corner.

Your Symptoms Are Real: What to Do When Your Doctor Says Nothing Is Wrong

Do I Need to See the Doctor? A Guide for Treating Common Minor Ailments at Home for All Ages

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Health Care With A Twist

Health care with a twist

Health care with a twist

With the soaring cost of health care here in the U.S. and 56 million people without health insurance, a lot of us are left to our own devices when it comes to health issues.

If you’re caught in that position, you’ll appreciate this funny “fake” news a friend recently sent me. It’s a tip for do-it-yourself health care –with a twist.

Enjoy!

* Do you have feelings of inadequacy?

* Do you suffer from shyness?

* Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself.

Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you’re ready and willing to do just about anything.

You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had.

Stop hiding and start living… with Margaritas.

Disclaimer:
Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn’t mind becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include:

* Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration
* Loss of motor control
* Loss of clothing
* Loss of money
* Headache
* Dehydration
* Dry mouth
* And a desire to sing Karaoke

WARNING:

* The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

* The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

* The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing.

Consult your doctors before using anything.  It makes them feel needed.

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Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to deliver information, advice , motivation and sometimes a touch of humor to people living with chronic pain. Stay in touch with her by using the subscribe form in the upper right corner.

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Confirmed—The Internet Is An Important Pain Management Tool

take-a-deep-breathIf you’ve turned to the internet in your quest for pain relief, you’re already using one of the best pain management tools available.

As reported in The Journal of Pain published by the American Pain Society, researchers in a Chicago-based program set out to determine how effective mind/body self-care techniques were in helping adults cope with chronic pain.

The study documented the experiences of seventy-eight people age 55 and older as they used the internet to access a variety of online pain management tools. Researches assessed changes in pain intensity as well as the subject’s ability to better manage their pain.

The subjects in the study were divided into intervention and comparison groups. The intervention group used online tools at least once a week.

A website the intervention group was given access to guided visitors through such pain coping techniques as deep breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, journaling about their feelings and experiences, creative visualization exercises and positive thinking exercises.

Online instructional materials such as videos, worksheets and illustrations guided the subjects through the various modules in the online program and encouraged them to participate in developing coping strategies.

At the end of the study, researches evaluated the experiences of the intervention group and the comparison group. They concluded that the intervention group using online tools showed significant improvements in pain intensity as well as the level of interference in daily activities the subjects attributed to pain.

Researchers also concluded that the subjects using online support tools showed improved confidence in their ability to use self-care techniques for managing their own pain.

The researchers concluded that online intervention offers a viable means of empowering older adults with chronic pain to learn self-care techniques and integrate those techniques into their daily lives.

From my own experience in organizing self-help support groups, I know that the average person suffering chronic pain gets very little help in learning to manage it. My hope is that this study will lead health care providers and insurance companies to develop online programs teaching pain management techniques and provide easy and affordable access to them.

If you know of online tools available now that offer free or highly affordable access to instructions in pain management techniques, I hope you’ll use the comment box to share them with others. You’ll find links to two articles suggesting helpful resources below.

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Bonnie Boots publishes Pain Health News to provide information and motivation to people coping with chronic pain. Please use the subscribe form in the upper right to stay connected!

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